Do you remember WNBA star Brittney Griner? This summer, Griner was caught in an international scandal after being seized with two cartridges of cannabis oil on Russian soil.
It started a war for Griner, who would spend the next weeks and months batting for her freedom in court. But amid an ongoing war and heightened tensions between the U.S. and Russia, a path home has not been possible for Griner.
Although the fight for her release wages in (with very powerful people in her corner), Griner remains in captivity and is apparently getting worried she may not be freed at all before her 10-year sentence expires.
WNBA Star Brittney Griner Is Growing Increasingly Concerned About The Outlook Of Her Case
In a story by The New York Times, Griner’s lawyer, Alexandr D. Boykov, detailed the status of her client and gave the latest update on how she’s feeling after over six months in prison.
Brittney Griner, the American basketball star facing nine years in prison in Russia, is increasingly anxious about her chances of being freed in a prisoner swap and struggling emotionally, one of her lawyers has said.
Ms. Griner is allowed outside once a day, Mr. Boykov said, during which she walks for an hour in a small courtyard at a penal colony outside Moscow where she was detained after a Russian court convicted her on drug possession charges.
“She has not been in as good condition as I could sometimes find her in,” the lawyer, Alexandr D. Boykov, said in a recent interview. “She is not yet absolutely convinced that America will be able to take her home,” Mr. Boykov said, adding that he had spoken to Ms. Griner on Tuesday. “She is very worried about what the price of that will be, and she is afraid that she will have to serve the whole sentence here in Russia.”
It makes sense that hope is in short supply for Griner. From home, we can all see for ourselves how much support both the NBA and the U.S. government have been giving her through this process. From the confines of her cell, however, Brittney has no way of knowing the full scope of her release efforts.
If she can just hang in there and let the politics of this play out, it might not be too much longer before she’s home. But now, it’s more important than ever that we keep trying to bring her back.
